Averie was an active 9-year-old who enjoyed being outdoors before she had a stroke last fall. She was at her soccer game when she suddenly slumped over and had a seizure. Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital confirmed that she’d had a stroke that affected the left side of her brain. Four days later, while still in the ICU, Averie suffered a second stroke, and her brain started to swell. She had to undergo an emergency thrombectomy and craniectomy to give her brain room to swell and prevent further damage, but two days later, she suffered a brain bleed. As doctors rushed her into emergency brain surgery, they let us know that losing her was a real possibility and that if she did survive, she might be unable to speak, comprehend language, or move any of her right side. Averie was sedated and intubated for five days, and on the sixth day, she started to wake up and respond to simple commands. On the seventh day, she was extubated.
As Averie began to recover, she was able to slightly move her right fingers and toes. She slowly began to whisper and smile. Once she was stable, she was discharged to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab as an inpatient. Intensive PT, OT, and SPL taught her how to walk again. She relearned how to change herself, chew and swallow, and talk. She left rehab with a forearm crutch, a diagnosis of aphasia, and hope that she will continue to improve.
Averie continues getting PT, OT, and SPL. She has resumed attending school and is slowly getting back to the spunky, outgoing, fearless girl she always was. She still has very limited mobility with her right arm, but her right leg is getting stronger. She has started to read again, plays with her brother and sister, and hopes to join an adaptive soccer team next year. Before her stroke, nighttime bike rides after dinner were a ritual our entire family enjoyed doing together. Receiving an adaptive bike would let her be active again and let our family enjoy bike rides together once again. It would also help with strength and exercise.